


In Cold Blood

by FrostyLiberTea



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Crime Fighting, Death, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 12:31:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19132084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostyLiberTea/pseuds/FrostyLiberTea
Summary: Barry travels over seas to Europe from central city to study and becomes friends with Caitlin Snow, when her mother is murdered he joins in on figuring out how and why, all the while discovering that he’s in love and it puts him in dangers.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> warning: This chapter contains a lot of anxiety inducing moments. The main character does have a panic attack/emotional breakdown.

 

Walking into the house after a long day of rough classes, Caitlin just wants to see her mom. Maybe for once she'll be a mother or at least act like one. She needs the support, for once in her life she just wants to confide in her nonexistent family. She had been doing so well in her respective field and she just wanted to share what she had been working so hard to achieve. What she didn't expect was what she got. Music runs through her earbuds, the lyrics to "queen of peace" forever burned into her mind as she sees the sight before her.

"Suddenly I'm overcome. Dissolving like the setting sun." For once in her life Caitlin Snow is unsure of how to process the feelings that come from seeing your mother dead.

When she walked in the room was quite, but it wasn't unusual, her mom was never one for useless sound of anysort. She called for her only with no reply she really just assumed she was still giving her the silent treatment. The last time she had come was unannounced and her mother didn't take to the friendly gesture. She accused Caitlin of only coming around when she needs something and Caitlin had fought back, asking why her mom never cared to just see her let alone speak about anything.

The first thing that leads her to the assumption that something's off is the fact that her dog Jack hadn't run up to Caitlin right away. It's just so unlike him, he did like her much more than he ever did her mom. Frankly she's not sure why she kept him after she went off to university. She finds him in her moms office or at home lab. She did a lot of work at home and because of her status it wasn't that crazy to see some of the equipment she had. Jack sees her come into the room and despite his size does everything he can to drag her to the large freezer in the room. It really is like a room in its self, she does a lot of work for the local hospitals and it just so happens she has a very large freezer to keep samples safe. When her hand hits the door she can tell it's been opened recently and she doesn't understand, her mom was never clumsy enough to leave it unlocked. She understood the severity of keeping information private in her line of work. Caitlin opens the door careful to leave it propped because even if it's unlocked you can't open it from inside. What she sees next she just doesn't know what do with.

Her mother lay there or really was rather collapsed in an unnatural position, frozen to the ground, and her skin lacking any and all color. Caitlin's first reaction is to scream, to wake up, or well really she's just not sure what to do. She just stares. It's the best she can offer right now. She knows she's dead when she sees her, and that kills her inside. Tears stepart to fall out of her eyes but her face doesn't change as she thinks about her mom. She treated Caitlin like she never even knew her, but she loved her. Didn't she? A minute goes by or maybe and hour she's not really sure, and by this point she's broken down, letting herself sob. Her mother is dead and she's bruised so bad. She may of hated Caitlin but god she just wanted to be loved. Caitlin just wanted a mom. Now, she'll never get that. The music in her ears keeps playing but the world just stops as she sits next to her and reaches out hoping for warmth but getting nothing but cold.  
"Is there any use? Somebody's gotta lose." The song continues and she wants silence but she doesn't have the energy to stop it. She just wants it all to stop because it's so loud it feels like she's spinning. Anxiety kicks in and she shakes her, she's do anything to wake her up. Who cares if she was a jerk, she's her mom. Putting her hands on her frozen body sends her almost into shock.

Her mother is frozen solid in front of her. Suddenly her lungs ache and she's screaming for help despite knowing that she can't help. God, why does the universe do this to people? No matter how much she hated her she didn't expect it to hit her like a train of emotions.  
Finally it becomes to much and she falls hard onto the cold floor that her mother's frozen to, making a thud as she loses consciousness.

When she wakes up she feels like she's smoked so many cigarettes because her lungs burn, the cold air not helping. Reaching for her phone that fell beside her she dials the police knowing this isn't okay or normal by any measure.  
"Caitlin Snow." She states her name and her voice cracks worrying he person on the other end of the line.

"What seems to be the problem?" The women questions knowing that this call isn't a joke or a traffic accident but rather something life altering. She can hear the pain in Caitlin's voice with her only just stating her name. It's the same tone she head when a professor called after a student at the college had used chemicals in a lab to kill himself. Ronnie Raymond had been studying history but was taking a standard class and when he killed himself it left everyone confused the professor, professor stein that called was horrified. Everyone was. She hears the fear in Caitlin's voice and she hopes to god it's just an over reaction but when she hears her response it about breaks her as well.

"My mother's been murdered."

 


	2. It's all too much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intro to Cait!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Anxiety and panic attacks are mentioned  
> also you should comment and tell me what you think! ;)

Caitlin's lungs ached for air as as she sat in the lecture room listening to her professor drag on about genetics. Ready to leave and grieve in her own personal bubble rather then in front of  all the students she hardly knows.

Her life had just taken a very dramatic turn and as much as she wants to forget it, move on, and continue to advance in her studies, her mom being murdered is definitely eating at her emotions. It was a week ago, her mother Dr. Carla Tannhauser, a fellow of the Royal Society, honored for her work in the medical industry, was murdered. Caitlin had gone to see her after a long week hoping to relax and maybe just for once get some closure in regards to her line of work and hoping her mom would finally have some respect for her now that she was making advances and flourishing in the scientific community. Only when she arrived her mother's body was forced into a freezer and her face was so pale and beaten, a sight that would eat her alive for months after, not mattering that she wasn't close and really wasn't fond of her mother at all.  
The thought of it all is enough to send her over the edge and she grabs her laptop as fast as she can and all but runs out of the lecture hall, not bothered by the students neer her stares. Her breathing heavy and her throat burning as she ends up throwing up just as she leaves the building. Cursing to herself she chokes back the tears that have started to fall without her consent. The cold weather just makes it all so much worse, it acts as a constant reminder of the fact that she never will get the chance to have a loving mother. Pulling her coat tighter around her, she pulls her arms close to herself and starts to head home. Her pace steady as she listens to the sounds of heals click on the pavement hoping to gain a grounding feeling because right now, she feels as if she's high above everyone else and she just wants to feel normal again. "This too shall pass." She sighs to herself because she knows, it will be over in an hour or so, it always is. The panicked moments never last to long, but they take it out of her and she's confused at the hostility of it all because after all her mother was never really a mother to her.

She ends up at her flat faster than she expected, tears gone, she reaches for her key with her frozen fingers cursing at the cold. Unlocking the door she walks in and falls to her bed, her legs dangling off. Laughing at herself, a smile forms and she realizes that panic attack is gone and that she's fine, good even. Pulling her phone out of her pocket she notices the messages from her professor, worried about her sudden rush out of class. Dr. Wells has always known her, he worked with her mother and she's known him professionally since she applied to university and made her way into the scientific community, disappointing her mother, who wanted her to follow explicitly in her footsteps. He knew about her death, everyone did. While he wasn't the most empathetic he was a good, acquaintance if she could call him that. Smiling at the consideration she closes her phone and smiles slightly to herself, she still has some one who cares. Her phone buzzes again and she can't help but look down at it again.

"Ms. Snow, admin has asked me to approach you about working with an exchange student coming here from the states. He's an intelligent criminal investigation major, and they just would like him to have someone that he feels comfortable with." Her first thought is just no. Does admin really think that now of all times is good for this sort of distraction? Sighing, her good mood fizzling out a bit as she ponders if she can even take on a new person in her life.  
"Can we discuss this tomorrow? I would be open to the idea but there are some technicalities I feel I should consider before agreeing." She types wanting to match his formality but not sound robotic. Hitting send, her phone buzzes almost instantaneously.

"Yes that would work. Come by my office after the lecture." His reply reads and it gives her a sense of anxiety as now this is on her plate and she has no idea what to do about it. She's already so stressed with working with police to figure out who froze, correction murdered her mother, her studies, and trying to remain sane in the process. She spends probably an hour looking over articles on the topic of studying abroad and by the time she finally passes out she feels no wear near anymore prepared to answer his question. Sleeping that night wasn't exactly the plan, she really assumed the nightmares would continue, but for once since she found her mom blue and cold, she was able to sleep without the aid of melatonin and without nightmares.

The buzzing of her alarm that she had forgot she set wakes her up with a jump. She falls back on her bed with a thud, landing face down into her pillow hoping that she could just curl back into the blankets. She knows she has to pull herself out of bed and Caitlin Snow is never late, so she does painfully, but she does it. It's cold in her flat as she all but falls on to the floor as she tries to get out of bed. Pulling it together as best as she can she grabs a sweater, pulls on a pair of jeans, and does the most important thing out of all of her day, starts the coffee. She's always had a caffeine issue, if you could call it that, she just needs coffee. Her mom hated it, she thought it was going to be the death of her, as if she'd drink enough to kill her. Caitlin does have a brain despite her mother's thoughts, especially so after she decided to focus on molecular studies rather than something strictly with medical applications.

Not even an hour later she composed herself enough so that no one would even know that she had, just moments before, collapsed out of bed with her hair in knots. Walking to campus she passes a few students she recognizes, making sure to say hello and maintain her reputation that in reality maybe she didn't care as much about as she really thought. The one person she could arguably say she allowed into her life since she started studying here two years ago, Cisco Ramon, runs up brushing tagging her shoulder and jumping ahead. " Hey Snow" He says with the utmost enthusiasm.

"Yes?" She questions as she raises and eyebrow at him and his dorky smile that's chewing on a red vine.

"Can't I just check up on my best friend before we head to take a crazy hard test in chem?" He asks putting way to much emphasis on best for this time in the morning as well as acting all dejected because Caitlin doesn't seem to keen on the early morning conversation.

"Shit"

"Geez Caitlin language" He laughs at her and the obvious fact that she totally one hundred percent forgot about the test today. But albeit the fact that she forgot cisco along with everyone else knows she'll pass with flying colors. He face gets a bit of color as she blushes from his loud laughter, and the attention it brings. Slapping his arm she mutters a playful "shutup" and with that he quits unsure after the past few weeks how far he can test her patience.

"You'll be fine, Cait. It's not like you don't study Every Single Day of Your Life." He says with a smile as he sees hers return, knowing that for right now she's okay. He's been there since the day she found her mother's lifeless body in the freezer, beaten, and cold. He's been one of the only people who she really talked to about the event, choosing to ignore it because maybe if she ignores it all, it will go away. That in itself is something Caitlin tends to use as a coping mechanism but cisco sees this and he just never lets it happen. He doesn't want to lose her. He just cares and for some reason she's chosen to accept his friendship over everyone else here. Maybe it's the culture difference considering he's a transfer student from an American university or maybe it's the fact that he just about forced her to talk to him.

The first day they met was in  freshman year and she can remember it like it happened yesterday. He was annoying, she was sick, she was trying to study in the library, and he was rambling to anyone whose listen about his favorite movies. He happened to chose her to bug that day and she was feeling bad enough she's just didn't try to argue. After that he sort of took it as an open invitation to bother her, but he made it a habit of bringing her coffee and that's about the extent of it. Now days he's moved on to more outside the library activities like going to brunch with her and discussing projects. He's inched his way into her life and for once she's not completely appalled by it.

When they get to her class Cisco is rambling on about a different topic now, Star Wars and the mechanics of the Death Star, but she doesn't get it. She's never watched it but she always tells cisco she's busy whenever he even suggests watching the series. He of course knows this and it's become an inside joke between them because she promised she would watch it  one day. Laughing a bit she tells him she has to go that she'll see him in chem, she then walks off to her class with a smile on her face.

Her first class of the day isn't bad and truthfully Cisco's rambling, although she would never admit it, really does make her smile. His lighthearted, overly happy tone never really fails to make her smile and for once she thinks about how lucky she is that she has a friend willing to put up with her. In bio, she takes notes, color-coding as per always. Her mind never drifts and it's almost like nothing even happened, that is until her professor, professor Stein, mentions to them all that they should share their condolences. His class has always been more personal than it needed to be, it doesn't help that it's small. She takes it in stride, having really begun to build up her skin, except for the few panic attacks that still plague her every once and awhile. Class is over finally and the comment soon forgotten as she meets cisco for coffee before this test in chem that they both know will be easy. The two although polar opposites make a surprisingly great study team.  When she gets there he already has her coffee ready for her, knowing her order by heart.

"Thanks." she says with a small but noticeable smile as she sits across from him and wraps her cold hands around the warm cup.

"No problemo." he replies as he swirls a peppermint stick in his hot chocolate and smiles at all the mini marshmallows floating in his cup. "You seem happy." he says almost teasing her because he knows that even though she says she hates it, it will still never fail to make her smile.  
"I guess." she says as she shrugs and laughs a bit after taking a drink from her cup.  
"You do know though that it's okay for you not to be happy, i mean after the past week or so you've had i can understand." Cisco says as he realises maybe he's pushing her a bit to hard. She found her mother all broken and white with ice covering every inch of her, it had to be a hard sight to see even for her.

"I think I'm doing well..." she says as her face drops a bit but he knows it's temporary because she isn't done. "She tried.. I guess but the best thing I can do is move forward. I still have panic attacks, but that may never leave." she shrugs but brings back the reminites of a smile. She's moving forward and willing to admit it, and that makes Cisco proud.

They head to bio a few minutes later, having dropped the conversation and moved on to a topic Cisco chose to bring up, puppies he saw on campus today. They find seats in one of the chem rooms ready for the test, well Caitlin is she's not to sure cisco is, but she figures he'll do well. Once they start it doesn't take her long. She flys through it, knowing all the answers because this is her favorite subject to study. If she were to fail there would of had to have been a life altering event. Death, that's life altering. "Snap out of it!" she mutters to herself hearing that more cynical side of her brain trying to pull her back down.  By the time Cisco finishes she's been done for a good half an hour but she still waits on him. She wants to walk with him to Dr. Wells's room. That decision he asked her to think about seems like a lot and despite the fact that she's not going to bring it up, the companionship is good for her sanity. If she goes alone and thinks anymore about helping this kid out and all that it entails, like showing him around and hanging out with him, she's probably going to lose it. He knows she has to meet with him and he's usually pretty intimidating so he follows her until he can't, wishes her the best of luck, and leaves determined to pet as many puppies as he can on his way home.

"Ms. Snow! Yes join me." Dr. Wells says as she walks into his lab ready to discuss this all, even though she's pretty sure she has her mind made up already. "Our foreign exchange student, as i mentioned is a criminal investigation major, he runs track and participates in a number of clubs. While I understand that we don't put much of an emphasis on sports here, I still really believe he'll do well here with us. His interview i did with him over the summer makes him seem promising and I believe you Ms.Snow would make a great mentor , if you will, for this student." As he continues to talk she really starts to question is saying no is truly the best option. What if this person ends up being her friend like Cisco? Cisco came from the US, what if the criminal investigation major ends up being as fun? "so .." she cuts him off almost as soon as she starts.  
"Dr. Wells you can call me Caitlin. I've known you long enough it really just seems redundant at this rate to continue referring to me as Ms. Snow." she says with a smile and a lighthearted tone knowing that he really doesn't mind when she speaks to him in a more relaxed tone. She's one of the only students that he truly feels he has an equal in when speaking to.

"So Caitlin, what do you say?" he asks right after he lists off every thing she'll have to do for him including maybe letting him stay at her flat until he is able to find living arrangements. The more he talks the more she almost empathises with this person who she's never even met.  
"I'll do it." she says surprising herself as she didn't think this was ever the answer she would give. What is she dragging herself into?  "May I ask what his name is?" she asks noting that it hasn't been mentioned.

"His name is Barry Allen." 

 


	3. I’ve seen the news…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry Allen is here. (finally)

The first thing he thinks about as he gets on the plane in California is the fact the he’s leaving behind that he’s ever known. His mother, Nora and his father Henry stand in security as Barry gets his bags checked and start small talk doing their best to avoid the thought that their son is moving away and may never come back to them.

“So do you think he’ll have a good sponsor?  I think they pick students to help them out. I hope he got someone nice.” Nora says to Henry just worrying as Barry finishes up and puts his shoes on. 

“Nora, I promise you he’ll be okay.” he says even though he’s just as worried as she is but he doesn’t admit it. Someone has to provide the moral support. 

“Mom!” he yells as he runs up to them in the busy airport,oblivious to the fact that they had both just been worrying out loud. “I got my boarding pass!” he says excitedly as he holds it up and waves it around frantically.    Barry’s sharp contrast of mode from his parents doesn’t go unnoticed by people around them but Barry is just oblivious to it all, his head in the clouds. Pulling his phone out of his pocket after feeling it buzz, he reads the message with a bright smile. “Her name is Caitlin Snow!” He says to his parents even though they had engaged in thier own conversation while he read the message, so the context isn’t right and 5ey are left with puzzled looks on thier faces, masking the look of nervousness. 

“What?” His dad is the first to speak up.

“The person that they assigned to help me out and show me around!” Barry says and neither of his parents really que into the fact that her names been in the news for a few weeks because of the murder of her mother. Barry knows though and he’s not sure how to think about it. On one hand maybe she could use a friend but on the other he just feels bad about the extra stress he’s most likely about to cause. Choosing not to say anything about that part specifically he continues “She’s on her second year and she’s a science major!” He says as the brief moment of unsureness leaves him and he’s left with an overwhelming happy feeling. 

“That’s nice… did they give you a phone number?” His mom replies sounding unsure, not because of who Caitlin is but because she’s nervous about potentially  loosing her son forever and him growing up. 

“Yeah they did, said she’d meet me in Birmingham once my plane lands and I figured we could talk then. We have almost two hours to drive to get back to the university, so I figured I could get to know her then. I don’t want her to be sick of me before I even get there.” He jokes but truthfully he’s nervous about it. What if she’s a total jerk? He’s seen the news, she found her mother shoved and broken in the freezer in her home, she’s got to have some kind of anxiety from that, and he is already nervous about this. 

“You should call her. Maybe she’ll be a good friend!” Nora says and for the first time a smile grows on her face. She’s loosing him but he’s growing up and she’s got to let him go free at some point. 

“I guess.” Barry shrugs as he says it and Nora can see that he’s feeling so many emotions. He was so excited, now he’s nervous, and later he’ll be excited again. Barry holds his phone and his fingers hover over the call button unsure if he should bug her anymore then he probably already has. Deciding he can’t really screw up with just calling her, he hits the call button. 

“Hello?”

“Hi Caitlin?”

“Yep that’s me.” She says and almost sounds happy to be talking to him and that’s something he for sure wasn’t expecting.

“Hey I’m Barry and I just wanted to check in, say hi,let you know I’m on my way. And all that kind of stuff.” Barry replies feeling better after hearing her voice and that she doesn’t sound totally down. 

“Okay. Sounds great. I’ll be at the airport when you get here.” 

“Wait are you already there?” He asks knowing it’s like eight hours till he gets there, maybe more.

“Yes… well I’m just spending the day in town. I like to be prepared.” She says and he can’t help but smirk at her ability to be surprisingly uptight but friendly in the same five minute conversation. 

“I like to be prepared huh? Sounds a bit like overkill don’t you think?” He says with a laugh and he hears her laugh even a little. “I mean I won’t be there for like half a day what is there possibly to do all that time?”

“I guess you’ll see once you get here.” She says with a smirk but he can’t see it so she sighs upset ever so slightly with her lack of social skill especially over the phone. She really does want to make this easier for him, Cisco had talked to her about moving from the states and with the current situation there, she really did feel bad for him. 

A few minutes later he waves goodbye to his parents for the next few years and he gets on the Plane his anxiety high but his excitement higher. As he boards the plane his mind drifts through this whole situation and a couple of times he has to remind him self that he wants this and that he’s going to use this training to help people… people like Caitlin. He starts to really feel the anxiety kick in as he fastens his seatbelt and leans back. The engines come to life and for a second he wants to scream stop and run back to his comfort zone, but he stays there and reaches for his pocket where his vape pen is. His mom never knew about the habit, he kept it pretty under the radar, but he just needs to calm down right now.   He knows it’s bad but he’s just never really bothered to try to quit since he started with his friends in high school. As soon as he’s allowed to stand up he heads to the bathroom, always beeping a rule follower despite this habit. His fingers wrap around the pen and he heads back. Closing the door to the tiny room, he pulls his pen out and inhales the watermelon sent, letting it calm his nerves and clear his mind. It must of been ten minutes before he realizes what’s happening around him and his mind is dragged out of what ever daydream had been occupying his mind moments ago.

When he gets back to his seat his mind is clear and he feels much better. Only a few more hours to go, becomes a line he mutters as he falls alseep in the uncomfortable chair hoping his dreams will take him away from the reality for just a few minutes. 

The plane is just about to land and he wakes up as the pilot tells them to make sure seatbelts are fastened. Looking out his window he sees the city he’s going to call home and his anxiety leaves. He’s finally doing this. When they land he all but runs out of the plane, his excitement back in full force. His feet skid to a halt as he looks into the sea of people getting off all the planes and waiting for other ones. There’s so many people, so he takes his phone out and sends her a text. “You here?” 

“Yes. By the food cuart. I have a sign.” She says and he laughs go figure she would be the formal one, who brings a sign to the airport. Maybe he did get lucky, she really doesn’t seem to horrible. When he sees the sign his hart skips a beat and it’s not because of the sign but rather the person holding it. Her hair curls around her face and her smile while small is bright. She just looks much different than he expected but then again what was he expecting. Dragging his suitcase behind him he walks up to her unsure what to say so he starts off with a shy “Hey” 

“Hello barry?” She questions but not in any sort of mean way just wanting to make sure it’s not just a random stranger and that she won’t be bringing a complete unknown person back with her. 

“That’d be me.” He says and laughs because of the look she gives him. “What’s the look for?” He teases figuring if he makes it obvious enough that he’s joking, she won’t get mad. Boy was her wrong. Despite his best attempt at a smile and joking tone she raises her eyebrow and he gets himself the first of many to come, glares from Caitlin Snow. She doesn’t doesn’t respond but the little boy inside of him still is satisfied. “So Caitlin, you’re from around here?” He questions not sure how to fill the awkward silence as they walk through the air port getting all his bags and showing the proper documents for him to be there. 

“Yes.” She replies a bit harshly thinking it’s a stupid question. Why would they chose her of all people to help the foreign student if she’s not from here? He notices the tension she’s holding in her shoulders and just how stiff she is and he knows he was right before. His worst fear through this is seemingly true so he decides to cut to it.

“Look, Caitlin I’ve seen the news…” 

“Stop. I don’t want to hear it.” She cuts him off harshly not sure what in his god for shaken mind made him think it was okay of all things to bring up her mother’s murder this soon. 

“I just know this may be to much.. I’m saying I can find someone else if you aren’t up to it.” He says even though she says stop.he just doesn’t listen to her, not sure want it is about her that gives him the confidence to just not listen. 

“Barry, I want to do this, I wouldn’t have agreed if I didn’t. My best friend came from America to study here and he talked to me about the process and how rough it can be. I’m not going to talk about anything like what you just mentioned and we are going to pretend it didn’t happen.” She says laying the rules down but her tone softens and he gets it. They grab bags and head out to her car, a small Mini Cooper. He snickers a bit knowing how close they’ll have to be, it’s a small car, and he can just tell she’s not one to be any to close to anyone both physically and emotionally. 

“I can work with that.” He says and softened up his snarky tone. They both feel bad about the way this has worked out, because she knows this isn’t normally her and he knows this isn’t normally the way he acts. She’s just holding in so many emotions with the poilce investigation going on, and them finding absolutely nothing yet. He’s just stressed because this is new and so utterly terrifying. 

They both notice how different they seem on the phone and in person. On the phone a few hours earlier everything was okay, but now not so much. Now they both just feel the weight on their shoulders, and neither want to really address their own feelings.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> please comment what you thinks going to happen! if someone gets it right I may write them a fancy just for them fic ;)


End file.
